Well This Bites!

[Panther_99FS]

You can only use hoist/wench in missions....:isadizzy:

[Dain Arns]

To pick stuff up, yep. :173go1:

You can move the hoist out and move the cable up and down in Free Flight, but looks like it won't pick something up unless there is a mission trigger. :kilroy:

[ananda]

You can only use hoist/wench in missions....:isadizzy:

So what happened to your wench avatars :wiggle:

George

[Panther_99FS]

You can move the hoist out and move the cable up and down in Free Flight,

I haven't been able to do this....:isadizzy:

[Laughingterror]

There was a way to use bombs if freeflight by adding a line to a saved flight.
This might work for the winch also.

[ananda]

I haven't been able to do this....:isadizzy:

RTFM :mixedsmi:

Hoist arm (Extend/Retract) CRTL + U
Hoist Cable (Lower) J
Hoist Cable (Raise) K

[samusi01]

You can get the sling line to appear in free flight but I couldn't get it to connect to anything and at any rate it disappeared as soon as I changed aircraft (even from one 101 to a different one).

[IanP]

I added a winch to the Alphasim (FS9) SeaKing and was happily messing about with that in freeflight. As others have said, however, it does seem to only have any use in missions. Pity. :(

We can pretend, though! We're good at that. :d

Ian P.

[Snuffy]

How often do you hoist yer wench in FSX?

[samusi01]

I think it should be possible to use the winch or sling in certain conditions in free flight, as the contents of the mission are in *.flt files. Copying certain sections from, for example, the slingload tutorial to another flight file allows one to have mission functions such as objects that can be slung. I'd do more experimenting but I have to pack for a trip tomorrow.

-Sam

[Panther_99FS]

RTFM :mixedsmi:

Hoist arm (Extend/Retract) CRTL + U
Hoist Cable (Lower) J
Hoist Cable (Raise) K

I did (back cover).

The problem I have is that it only works in the missions.

[ananda]

Hmm, it works ok for me and I've never flown a mission.

George

[P-12C]

You can only use hoist/wench in missions....:isadizzy:

If liftable objects are placed into the freeflight world, then you can pick them up. Scenery designers could do this if they want to. One of the guys on Hovercontrol has been able to do it and has been active working with others to create new liftable objects as well.

[Panther_99FS]

Okay,
I looked in the control setting but I couldn't find something to "enable hoist mode"..:ques::isadizzy:

[IanP]

I think it's "o" - but what I think is being referred to above are actually objects that can be lifted - such as the swimmer, cargo palette or Hummer used in the Accel missions.

I'll try placing one at the mess that is IPBA this afternoon (I just booked it as leave... ;)) and report back.

Report back: Well, I have to say that while it may be possible, I just spent ten minutes waving a winchline around a whole bunch of swimmer1 and swimmer2 models in the water and not one of them would bite, even with the line hitting them on the head. I'll keep testing between doing other things, but that was a total failure.

Ian P.

[Panther_99FS]

:costumes::costumes::costumes:

[samusi01]

Managed to get it working in free flight, and broke every cable I had, but I was able to hoist objects. Had to make a spb file and add stuff into the flt file. I am going to continue to experiment with settings for a while here.

[IanP]

Presumably a mission .spb file, as oppose to a gauge or autogen one?

The following screenshot is from my latest test, before we run out to the shops (I've just been informed that I'm in Greenwich for a training course I don't want to do for 80% of the next week so time this weekend is seriously limited :banghead:) The helo is at 71' AGL with a 65' line - the helo "rests" at 7, so 1' of the line is dragging along the ground - however, I have just descended in a <1KIAS hover from 78' to 71' (i.e. 6' above ground level to 1' below) and thus the end of the line is well inside the margin of error to allow a connection. The line is active and... well, this shot shows the third time I've gone through the crates without picking them up.

It seems that creating a mission file - the .spb file - really is the only way to make this work. Unless there's a difference between the library objects placed using a scenery design tool and the liftable objects? I'm using "Mis_Pallet_Load" from the "fsxp_missionobjects.bgl" library.

Ian P.

[samusi01]

Yes, I am using a mission spb file. I think that the objects placed with the Object Placement Tool are pulled from the scenery library and thus don't reference the SimObjects/Misc folder. The program probably spent some time wondering why I was trying to pick up scenery objects!

[Slund]

There was a way to use bombs if freeflight by adding a line to a saved flight.
This might work for the winch also.


I have been trying to figure out how to add a Bambi Bucket to a helicopter without the need to have the hoist or the sling attached, but I'm not having much luck. If anyone knows how this is done or maybe a link to a tutorial I would love to hear from you. Here's one of the buckets I designed, I was going to release a full line of buckets that cover the complete range of helicopters used for fire fighting but if I can't get them working outside the missions I probably wont' bother.

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8876/86358906jk2.jpg

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6277/14466566it1zj3.jpg